Surfrider Foundation’s Rip Curl Pro Search Kick Off Party

Green Day drops in for surprise set at Surfrider Foundation’s Rip Curl Pro Kickoff Party

After an insane day of overhead, offshore surf at the opening day of the Rip Curl Search in San Francisco, the Surfrider Foundation threw one hell of a party in downtown SF at Mezzanine. The soirée kicked off with tuneage from re-united San Diego band Kut U Up (you might recognize the bass player), followed by a rowdy set by modern day garage rocker Ty Segall.

And then shit got nuts. Mystery guests have a tendency to underwhelm. Not this night. Our own editor in chief Chris Cote hooked up East Bay punk rock superstars Green Day to close out the night. I’d found out a few hours earlier, and half the people I told didn’t believe me. But when Billy Joe and crew walked out on stage, the crowd of about 700 people was pretty much stunned—and then electrified.

Even if you’re not a diehard Green Day fan, they put one a hell of a show. They rocked the place into a frenzy for a solid two hours, and had the whole place going bananas. It was an awesome night, made even better knowing it was in support of the Surfrider Foundation.—Casey Koteen